The Liberian Senate yesterday confirmed Mr. Robert Kilby as Auditor General of the country through a microwave process, the quickest ever in recent memories. Mr. Kirby’s confirmation came just in thirty-five minutes after the Senate Committee on Audits and Accounts headed by professor Edward Dagoseh of Grand Cape Mount County of the ruling Unity Party after the Plenary received instruction from the Committee.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on Monday re-submitted Mr. Robert Kilby to the Senate for confirmation after his initial nomination hit rock- bottom last year when it was discovered his credentials submitted to the Senate had disturbing discrepancies.

The Liberian Senate was shocked to had noticed during Mr. Kilby’s initial confirmation when they realized he had two barchelor degrees on his curriculum vitae which were determined to be bogus. Mr. Kilby however blamed the country’s agency in charge of the recruitment (Civil Service Agency) at the time of inserting the improprieties on his curriculum vitae and said he believed it was an oversight, adding ” it may have been an oversight by the CSA, but the curriculum vitae he presented to them does not say he had a double bachelor degrees”.

In his agency defense, Dr. William Allen, Director General of the Civil Service Agency dismissed Mr. Kilby’s assertion and said the Curriculum Vitae was submitted to the Senate by Mr. Kilby himself. Mr. Kilby informed the Liberian Senate that he did not have an accounting or finance master degree and or a double Bachelor degrees, the cardinal stipulation the CSA had on the vacancy bulletin posted. The bulletin stipulated that applicants for consideration must have at least undergraduate degree in accounting, management or other related discipline from a recognized,and accredited university. Certifications of CPA, CA, CFE, CMA or other equivalent.

Mr. Kilby was also found to had attributed more improprieties in his curriculum vitae by claiming he is licensed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accounting (AICPA) even though that institution by mandate does not issue licenses but instead such licenses is under the purview of each state, county, and district Boards of Accountancy.

Mr. Kilby’s confirmation and subsequent taking over at the General Auditing Commission of the country did not settle the disturbing discrepancies in his curriculum vitae but in a communication to the Liberian Senate in re-nominating Mr Kilby to serve as Auditor General, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said,

“although the Acting Auditor General and the Deputy Auditor General have both indicated a desire to be named, I consider it only fair to revert to the recommendations that came out of the professional recruitment process which included representatives of two of our external partners by nominating, herewith, for confirmation by the honorable Liberian Senate Mr. Robert L. Kilby as Auditor General of the Republic of Liberia.”

The new Auditor General will be replacing Mr. John Morlu, an astute and outstanding Auditor General who earned the respect of Liberians and international community for his forthright performance as Auditor General and was the frontline general who led a group of talented and patriotic ordinary Liberians to lead the effort of putting the country’s fiscal house in order which culminated into Liberia’s debt waiver by the international community.

Mr. Morlu was let go by the Liberian leader as she said “we did not always agree with the way Mr. Morlu performed his job, including an indictment that our Government was three times more corrupt than its predecessors, even before he officially commissioned his very first audit. Mr. Morlu was uncompromising in fighting corruption in Liberia and made himself enough enemies within government who could not wait to see him out and when his contract came for renewal, President Sirleaf refused to hire him for a second term.

The confirmation of Mr Kilby as Auditor General of Liberia will diminish the trust, integrity and morale of the General Auditing Commission and consequentially affect efficiency and productivity, revered pillars the commission is built on by Mr. Morlu and team of auditors. Mr. Kilby’s appointment and subsequent confirmation defy the core principles upon which the post of Auditor general, accountancy, finance, and management is pivoted on as Mr. Kilby himself is the embodiment of the contradiction of those principles.

Sure, the General Auditing Commission of Liberia is dead and regrettably, the Liberian Senate, led by a professor, Senator Edward Dagoseh who knows better and by statute is empowered to balance weird presidential action as the case of Mr. Kilby, has presented itself, would elect to embarrass an entire nation to confirm Mr. Kilby who in fact should had been charged with contempt for lying to that body and prosecuted for submitting questionable curriculum vitae which up to his confirmation remains doctored as he presented it.